Who runs this place? #AskDeloitte

Ministers pay Deloitte to do their jobs

Ministers paid Deloitte to draft their parliamentary answers on Test and Trace https://t.co/ja2m3nudWk

— Financial Eyes (@financialeyes) March 26, 2021

Big Four audit firm Deloitte is cleaning up under Test and Trace – but they also get to write the Government’s answers for them.

So the Government pays Deloitte to tell them how to tell the world that it is ok for the Government to pay Deloitte.

Government has outsourced itself

Deloitte now drafts Parliamentary answers from Ministers.

This is a govt which appears to have even outsourced itself.

What will the Minister do to end this practice – or do I need to write to Deloitte to find out?@RachelReevesMP @JackDromeyMP @GoodLawProject @HuffPost pic.twitter.com/OyaeHPuIII

— Fleur Anderson MP (@PutneyFleur) March 25, 2021

Government reply

Taken from the Huff Post piece

“The government employs contractors in the same vein that private businesses do and responsibility for answering parliamentary questions, freedom of information requests and media enquiries rests firmly with a team of civil service communications professionals within the Department of Health and Social Care. Every single response is subject to the highest levels of scrutiny to ensure they are both factual and detailed.”

UK Government

Media Malfeasance

It goes without saying that this is a mega scandal.

But corporate logic and values dictate that no profit hungry media outlet should cover it.

That is why you do not see this story mentioned on the BBC, Guardian or the Times.

I am surprised that Huff Post has covered it. Good for them.

Media Malfeasance

When the papers choose not to cover a story like this, despite claiming to champion investigative journalism, you have to ask why.

Is there a silent agreement to not make life difficult for the government?

To apologise on its behalf in the name of the greater good, and possible promotion.

Or is it mere co-incidence that no national newspaper or tv programme is touching this?

Punch and Judy

People often say that Parliament is a Punch and Judy show.

I have suspected people were reading from scripts in the past and, on occasion, that the opposition script was being written by the same person that wrote the Government’s.

We are not yet at the stage where that is the official story, but we’re getting there.

Learning Lessons

The Government likes to answer questions with the “we’re learning lessons” deflection.

Deloitte and Serco, who have the main Trace and Test contract, have form:

Deloitte fined £4.2m over Serco tagging scandal https://t.co/qeyKyQ7rsC

— Financial Eyes (@financialeyes) March 26, 2021

NHS Mandate

For an idea about what the numbers look like for the NHS have a look at these recently released documents:

Mr Punch

Seeing as we appear to inhabit a Punch And Judy world why not have a peek at some of my mate WIll’s latest endeavours . . .

#WyldheartAndWright

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mr Punch & Friends (@therealmrpunch)